Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

Wait… what? You may feel justified in your confusion. Two weeks ago, Mariota said he was coming back to Oregon for his (redshirt) junior year.

Good for him: The notice he would return to college wasn’t a binding commitment — he would be nuts not to at least hear where he might be drafted.

Curious: Does it really take the “NFL Advisory Committee” to let him know he would not just be a lock first-round pick and not just a lock Top 10 pick, but likely a lock Top 5 pick? Just take a look at the draft evaluations (mock and otherwise) when we all thought he was coming out — Mariota was the second-highest-rated QB on the board (after Teddy Bridgewater).

What next: Regardless of his prior commitment, Mariota isn’t going back to school until the early-entry deadline passes and he isn’t on the draft list.
And if he has a change of heart and recognizes that being a Top 5 pick in 2014 beats being a Top 5 pick in 2015 — with only a year’s worth of career-altering injury risk in between — more power to him.

UPDATE: The Oregon associate AD in charge of PR tweeted out a rebuttal:Marcus Mariota requested his draft evaluation the day after the Civil War. Decision was made regardless of eval.

The point stands: Given his Top 5 potential in the 2014 draft, Mariota has every right to change his mind if he wants to.

Re: Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

Ask Matt Barkley. Wasn't he projected as a top 5 pick (or somewhere around there) if he'd come out as a junior? He would have at least been the first QB off of the board.

If I was Mariota I'd come out. Another year at Oregon May help Oregon, but it won't do much for him.

You know not everything is about where your slated to go in the draft right? I don't know if you've went or not, but university is the best damn time of your life, I can promise you that. I couldn't even imagine what it's like if your the head QB of a huge football program that's slated to be a top 10 pick and a heisman hopeful. Mariota is REALLY young. It would definitely benefit him to stay and learn more about the game and continue to progress as a QB.. At this point he is going to be drafted very highly because of his huge potential (obviously he has a lot of current skill too, but Bridgewater is much more refined as a passer and pocket QB).

Whatever he does will be good. If he comes out, he's the #2 QB off the board and makes our pick very valuable; similar situation to the Luck/RG3 draft. Not to mention, we could potentially even take him.

Re: Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

He should make the best decision for his future, not to get picked higher

For college athletes hoping to become professional football players, the two are sometimes connected.

Let's go back to the Matt Barkley example. Barkley is going to make $2.739 million over the next four years if he plays out his current contract with the Eagles. If he had gone in the Top 10-15 a year before, as some believed he could have, he would be making over three times as much over the same span, clearly putting him in a better financial situation for his future.

I don't begrudge anyone wanting to stay in college rather than leave early for the NFL, but there's definitely a financial risk associated in doing so. Essentially, you're gambling on yourself and being more highly regarded in a year's time than you are now. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, it can cost these young men millions of dollars, which certainly doesn't help their future.

Re: Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

Originally Posted by sosa39rams

You know not everything is about where your slated to go in the draft right? I don't know if you've went or not, but university is the best damn time of your life, I can promise you that. I couldn't even imagine what it's like if your the head QB of a huge football program that's slated to be a top 10 pick and a heisman hopeful. Mariota is REALLY young. It would definitely benefit him to stay and learn more about the game and continue to progress as a QB.. At this point he is going to be drafted very highly because of his huge potential (obviously he has a lot of current skill too, but Bridgewater is much more refined as a passer and pocket QB).

Whatever he does will be good. If he comes out, he's the #2 QB off the board and makes our pick very valuable; similar situation to the Luck/RG3 draft. Not to mention, we could potentially even take him.

So everything isn't about where your slated to go in the draft? Really??
Thanks for the heads up.

Yes, I went to college and I agree that it was a lot of fun.
I think it might also be fun to be paid millions to focus exclusively on doing something that I love and will be doing for a living anyway. You don't think there's parties and women in the NFL?

I guess I was under the impression that the main reason to go to college was to train for a career.
Marcus Mariota's profession is (in all likelihood) going to be NFL quarterback. I don't see how another year of college is going to prepare him for that job any more than he already seems to be.

Re: Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

Originally Posted by RosieJones

So everything isn't about where your slated to go in the draft? Really??
Thanks for the heads up.

Yes, I went to college and I agree that it was a lot of fun.
I think it might also be fun to be paid millions to focus exclusively on doing something that I love and will be doing for a living anyway. You don't think there's parties and women in the NFL?

I guess I was under the impression that the main reason to go to college was to train for a career.
Marcus Mariota's profession is (in all likelihood) going to be NFL quarterback. I don't see how another year of college is going to prepare him for that job any more than he already seems to be.

He's 20 years old. Going back and getting another year of experience under your belt and learning more about the game and defenses will definitely help. Not to mention the guy has NO idea how to take a snap from under center so he could definitely go back and learn on doing something like that, for example.

Re: Mariota requests draft evaluation by advisory committee

Originally Posted by sosa39rams

He's 20 years old. Going back and getting another year of experience under your belt and learning more about the game and defenses will definitely help. Not to mention the guy has NO idea how to take a snap from under center so he could definitely go back and learn on doing something like that, for example.

Fair point on the center exchange, but I don't know that he'll improve on that at Oregon.

I understand what your saying, and your point is sound.
I just think that if the advisory committee projects him in the top ten he owes it to himself to seriously consider declaring for the draft.